Islamabad (Staff Report/Agencies): Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday said that the government had no plan to impose new tax on agriculture and real estate sectors.
“I want to state categorically that no new tax will be imposed on agriculture or real estate.” Dar said on the floor of the National Assembly. “We have endured much pain in meeting the IMF’s conditions,” he added.
Earlier, the media reports had suggested that the IMF had asked the government for a plan to impose taxes on the real estate and agricultural sectors — to release the remaining amount.
The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) board approved a $3 billion a 9-month Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) for Pakistan, of which $1.2 billion was immediately disbursed.
The remaining amount will be phased over the programme’s duration, subject to two quarterly reviews, it added. The global lender said the SBA was signed at a “challenging economic juncture for Pakistan”.